I wonder how many authors have considered this subject? One of the reasons I bring up the topic is my current read is Mythos by Stephen Fry. The book is a retelling of the myths of Ancient Greece. There are a lot of characters in it. It is absolutely impossible to remember all the names, but somehow it works because you are so familiar with all of the characters. It also works in epics like Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien and Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin. (Is the R. R. a coincidence? I should Google...
IN ROMANCE NOVELS THE ONE SUBJECT YOU CAN’T AVOID TALKING ABOUT IS S*X.
You can’t avoid the topic of sex when you work in a romance publishing house. I try not to talk about it too much in blogs because I don’t want folk to think that is all we talk about here. But for a couple of reasons, this topic came up. There are a few parts to this, so I hope you will bear with me. Ric told me of a discussion he had with a BVS published author, no names, she asked if her new story was sexy enough. I thought this an interesting topic for a few reasons. How...
IS A LITTLE KINKY OK! IS VARIETY THE SPICE OF LIFE?
I first started working for Black Velvet Seductions in 2014, soon after Ric took over as CEO. One of the first BVS books I read was Playing for Keeps by Glenda Horsfall. I loved this book on the first read. I also loved Playing by his Rules, her follow-up book, Glenda has been away for a little while. I would like to take this opportunity to say I very much hope she will be back with us with another book. We have explored the kinky side of romance in a few of our books. I had my first story published in the anthology First...
WHAT DRIVES US TO WRITE?
I have chatted with a few authors lately, and this question keeps coming up. What is our motivation to write? And the answers to this are pretty varied. Some write with the hope of fame, some for the expectation of monetary gain. One friend loves the title of being an author, more than she enjoys writing stories. Some write reluctantly, fearing what people will say about their work. For myself, and I think I speak for a great number of writers, I am compelled to write. I need to express my feelings. Just have to get it out. I would...
IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS GOOD.
I was chilling with a writer friend, talking over the start of books and how fundamentally important the first few words are. You need to grab the reader from the start. It is surprising how many scripts we get don’t have that hook at the start. Also when you think about it, you read the start of your story more than any other part, so it should be more polished. Or at least you would think so. I remember from a creative writing seminar that a hook right at the start was key to a successful story. Without that hook,...
PROMOTION! HOW BIG IS YOUR BUDGET?
I wanted to write a quick follow up to a blog I wrote on promotion. There is the whole matter of how much of yourself you put into your promo. Then the other side of the coin, quite literally, is it worth throwing money at promotion? There are aspects of promotion that require money, but where do you spend? Where do you look for the best value for money? Can you spend more on promotion than you earn from your books? I know this is a hot topic for Black Velvet Seductions. What do you think? How do you feel about...
WHAT IF YOU COULD HAVE A MAN, BUT WITHOUT ANY OF THE BAD HABITS?
I was watching a documentary the other day about men buying female sexbots. It struck me as a bit sad that these men could not find something better than a rubber doll to love. Maybe it is because, I never got the idea of sex dolls, and now these sex robots, but I guess there are lonely guys out there that need that kind of thing. I don’t want to sound snooty, but grown men making up relationships with lifesize dolls just feels weird. I probably wouldn’t have blogged on this subject but for another documentary and an advert I saw, this time for...
JAN SELBOURNE HAS BEEN SELECTED AS THE AUTHOR OF THE MONTH BY WILDFIRE PUBLICATIONS MAGAZINE.
Jan Selbourne author of Perilous Love has been selected as the author of the month by the Wildfire Publications Monthly Magazine. We are all very proud of Jan and her book; it is a great action romance story. You can read the Prologue and Chapter one, by Clicking here. There is an interview by Fiona Mcvie with Jan If you have anything you would like to add or share, I’d love to hear your comments here on the blog, the BVS Facebook page, or my Facebook page. We have a twitter page too, and we are always happy to follow people that follow us. Romance & Erotic Romance Authors...
IS PROMOTIONS ALCHEMY? OR IS IT JUST HARD WORK?
Another day another promo. Is it just hard work? Or is there some magic involved? It feels like there is always something to promote, and that is a good thing. We are always looking for new and interesting ways to share our books and our ideas. We also have an active policy trying to help our authors develop their profiles. How do you promote it? Have you got any ideas you would like to share? Do you use any automated help? Ninja Blaster? Or a real or virtual assistant? Are there any promotional things you see, that you do and...
COOKING! WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG!
Before I tell you about last night’s party, and how it all went horribly wrong, I want to add something to yesterday’s blog. I mentioned some of our more recent stories and the great authors who have written them. What I failed to say and I would like to add, is a tribute to all the authors that have been published by Black Velvet Seductions over the years. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank them all. You can check out our website for the authors and their books. Confession time, I consider myself quite a good cook and...